Shropshire School Direct 2019/20 Course Content & Structure

Associate Teachers will benefit by being part of a supportive group with modules being delivered across the academic year. The modules include Meeting Children's Needs - within and beyond the classroom, Pedagogical Excellence, The Creative and Effective Curriculum and Reflective Practice.

University of Chester staff will share the delivery of Shropshire School Direct training modules in partnership with local practitioners. A typical Shropshire School Direct week may include one day’s university-led facilitated training and two days practitioner-led facilitated training (some of which will include personal study time) at St.Peter’s Learning Centre, Woodfield Infant School or other local schools. The practitioner-led element will be delivered by outstanding teachers within the Alliance School or Partnership. The remaining two days of school-led training will be based in local host schools and including classroom practice and experience. This flexible structure with its blend of academic and practitioner expertise ensures that theory is embedded into practice at the earliest possible opportunity.

On appointment trainees will be placed with a Shropshire School Direct ‘host’ school and be provided with an experienced professional tutor and a university subject based tutor as well as an alliance based Shropshire School Direct team to support you throughout your PGCE programme.

There are a series of three school block placements across which trainees will experience outstanding teaching in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 within a variety of contexts in a range of good or outstanding schools within the Alliance:

Beginning Placement - approximately 4-5 weeks in November/December

Developing Placement - approximately 4-5 weeks in February/March

Extending Placement – approximately 6 weeks in June/July

Please note that your school placements could be at any of the schools within the Alliance & Partnership. Although we will take personal circumstances into consideration when placing trainees, you will need to take into consideration travel time and distances that may be involved.

Trainees may be asked to visit the University for the registration event in September so that they also feel part of the university family.

It is important to note that you can gain up to 60 masters level credits through completion of this course as this is a PGCE route not QTS only. This means your qualification is internationally recognised.

Assessment

Trainees will be informally assessed and supported throughout the programme. Trainees will be formally assessed on a range of modules, some of which are studied at Level 7 leading to credits towards a Masters qualification.

Access to the University’s resources via their e-portfolio system and blackboard VLE will ensure you have access to wider educational texts and journals to support your work. Wi-Fi and computing facilities will be available in every school.

Developing and Extending placements will be assessed on a Pass/Fail and graded.